Hi Reader,

A director and her team achieved more in three days than they had in three weeks.

Because their boss was out of the business.

She shared with me that it wasn’t just an increase in the output, but the office vibe was upbeat and positive.

Then he came back.

And the late-night WhatsApp demands returned. His habit of swooping into negotiations, then vanishing. Creating urgency around his anxiety.

She’d called me because this week, her best team member resigned without a job to go to giving this boss as the reason for leaving.

You know this story.

This boss had been there five years. In the early days, he was indispensable building and contributing. And that history created immunity.

HR knows about his toxic behaviour. Peers have escalated to HR and the CEO. But the people in a position to do something choose to do nothing.

This protection of him is costing you….

£180k in replacement costs. Three exits in 18 months, each naming him.

Productivity loss you can measure when he's absent. High performers spending energy managing him instead of delivering value.

And perhaps most pervasive, a culture learning that early loyalty matters more than current performance.

The question is what's stopping you from acting on it?

If the answer is "I don't know how to intervene without it blowing up," let's talk.

We'll map what intervention actually looks like and whether this person can shift or whether you're protecting the wrong leader.

Catherine

P.S. How many of your early heroes are now culture drains?